It’s no secret that I have a huge love of all things beautiful and of exceptional quality, which is why anything produced by Ji Baek, creator & founder of Rescue Beauty Lounge, has a standing invitation to enter my collection of lacquers. My first foray into this brand began back in September 2010 with the ‘Housewives of Tudor England’ Collection (please search under the Rescue Beauty Lounge tag to read all my reviews), which also happened to coincide with the start of my blog, hence the personal attachment for me.
I continue to be fascinated by the creative process behind boutique brands such as this one; back in May of this year when the first swatches of Rescue Beauty’s latest offering began showing, it thrilled the art lover in me to see that a talent such as American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (November 15, 1887 – March 6, 1986) was the inspiration behind this latest collection, but this homage came with a price: due to certain legal issues, Ji had to tweak certain aspects of this collection from its original presentation (you can read the article here), although the end result remained the same – four beautifully poignant and rich hues, all crafted in Rescue Beauty’s inimitable style. I present to you the ‘GOMM’ collection …
The past few seasons saw Rescue Beauty releasing new collections in sets of 4; the ‘GOMM’ collection gave us 7 vibrant hues, and I can fully understand why when you factor in the vast choices of colour used by the artistic inspiration behind these shades. With only one crème hue and the rest bearing varying levels of shimmer, the formulas also ranged from somewhat sheer to densely opaque, with a flow that ran from relatively easy to slightly thick – but all with an absolutely stellar application and super high-gloss finish. All swatches are with base and top coats.
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*Please note that only the part of the name outside of the brackets is the official title of each hue, although I have chosen to include the full name for information purposes only.
Rescue Beauty Lounge GOMM Collection – autographed boxes
Three years ago when my daughter was in the 10th grade, her art class began a project based on works by Georgia O’Keeffe, whereby the students looked over the artist’s collective pieces and had to create an original oeuvre in that style. Above, is the painting my daughter created – to say that it blew me away, would be the understatement of the century! I am so immensely proud of her attention to detail and that certain quality of “still movement” that she intuitively gave her work; truly awe-inspiring!
Bella [Donna] – a paradoxically crisp & muddied white shade in a medium thick but easy flowing formula, all with a rather jelly-like finish. I loved the translucent quality at 2 coats, which was surprisingly streak-free and lay down smoothly, but I preferred the “bleached bones” look of 3 applied coats. This is a somewhat filtered white colour, elegant and classic but with a definite modern edge and while the insanely glassy finish made a top coat almost redundant, I did apply it here for the photos. Coats applied: 3
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RBL Abi[quiu] – in natural light
Abi[quiu] – an aloe green hue with deep lime undertones and absolutely brimming with silver, blue and pink ultra-fine shimmer. The excellent formula applies with a perfect density, showing amazing pigmentation of colour by even the first coat. Very self-levelling, brush-stroke free and leaving behind a high gloss finish (surprising for a shimmer), this shade imparts more of a pearly hue when seen in sunlight, although that sheen in almost undetectable indoors. Coats applied: 2
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RBL Santa Fe [Road] – in natural light
Santa Fe [Road] – a warm Creamsicle orange hue with mysterious green flashes seen at some angles, all in a shimmery pearlescent formula that was perfect in every way: opacity, coverage and high shine. To repeat the above, the finish was ultra smooth, no visible brush strokes and it can almost apply as a 1-coater in a pinch. While the shimmer is not as apparent in subdued lighting, it does serve to add a beautiful depth. What makes this orange hue so very wearable, is its softly diffused appearance, looking more like pumpkin purée than Crayola inspired. Coats applied: 2
in sunlight
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RBL Ghost [Ranch] – in natural light
Ghost [Ranch] – a complex mix of taupe, brown and silver, this shade is filled with matching ribbons of shimmer that also include some specks of green and pink for added visual depth. This incredibly pigmented formula lays down perfectly with the first coat, although I applied a second for photographic purposes. Interestingly enough, this was the only one of the 7 that ended in a satiny finish, which completely reminded me of driftwood or the patina of weathered wood. Coats applied: 2
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in sunlight
macro
indoors
with flash
RBL Faraway [Nearby] – in natural light
Faraway [Nearby] – is a vivid cyan blue shade, filled with an almost iridescent shimmery dust throughout, all in yet another KILLER formula. An incredible saturation of colour, this hue also applied in the same self-levelling and brush stroke-free manner as the rest, leaving behind an impossibly high gloss shine. Bringing to mind the colour of a searingly blue sky over the desert landscape, I found that the teal-leaning ultra-fine shimmer seemed rather concealed indoors, but came to brilliant life when seen in full sun or with flash. Coats applied: 2
in sunlight
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indoors
with flash
RBL [Oriental] Poppy – in natural light
[Oriental] Poppy – is somewhat of a contradiction; an über-vivid coral-leaning tomato red shade, it is filled with pink, orange and gold ultra-fine shimmery particles that while almost imperceptible indoors, serve to add a rich lustrous depth to this hue. This richly pigmented crème-jelly hybrid formula applies ridiculously easy, levelling smoothly and with a high glassy shine, although I did notice some light residual staining upon removal – easily remedied with a second swipe of polish remover. The paradox with this shade, is that while overall it can be classified as a warm hue, there also appear to be these inexplicable blueish flashes of light at times, that help it cross into more cooler territory. Coats applied: 2
in sunlight
macro
indoors
with flash
RBL Jack [In The Pulpit] – in natural light
Jack [In The Pulpit] – is pure LOVE for me. A deep viridian green shade with glistening teal flashes, this true 1-coater formula is filled with silver, blue and green shimmery particles that add a new level of depth to this rich hue. Flowing like liquid silk across the nails, this beauty is the crowing jewel of this collection, its allure clearly evident. Effortless application, gliding smoothly and with a glowing gloss at the finish – perfection! BONUS: no staining upon removal. Coats applied: 3
in sunlight
macro
indoors
with flash
Final thoughts: Even though I may not always be a complete fan over every colour produced in a collection, I cannot help but want to keep all of my limited edition Rescue Beauty sets intact, such as the ‘GOMM’ collection showcased here. For the most part, the colours are unique which helps to offset the steep price of ordering (at US $20.00 per bottle plus US $18.00 shipping to Canada, it can hurt the wallet plenty) and I believe that the formulas are quite superior to that of more mass-produced brands, but I confess that if it weren’t for the collector in me, I would have stuck to less than all 7 shades. My favourites here are Jack [In The Pulpit], Bella [Donna], and [Oriental] Poppy, with an honourable mention going to Ghost [Ranch] and Faraway [Nearby], but I don’t regret the other 2 – I just don’t think they will see as much love from me. Still available through Rescue Beauty’s website, if you haven’t given this brand a look before, here’s your chance … just don’t say you weren’t warned if one of these beauties sells out while you’re looking at it!
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